Welcome to the 5-Minute Dog, the mini-podcast that delivers practical training advice in less than 5 minutes. Here's something that I don't think we talk enough about. It's that minute or two after a negative dog-to-dog encounter and I'm not talking about a full-on fight. I mean those moments when another dog gets loose and they rush you and your dog and there might be some snarking, maybe some raised tackles, but no damage. It's loud, it's messy, and then it's over and the other dog gets dragged away by their human and you and your dog turn around and continue your walk. But here's the thing these next few minutes are really important.

Immediately after the dog-on-dog encounter, your dog is still emotionally processing what just happened. Actually, you're both probably still processing the event. You both just had an adrenaline spike, fight or flight kicked in, even if nobody got hurt. And what we do then, what we do after the incident, will shape how our dogs remember it. If we let our emotions take over, if we get angry and we keep yelling at the other person, or if we turn around and immediately tighten up on our dog's leash and drag him back to the car or drag him home, we can teach our dog that yeah, that was pretty scary, that was bad.

Maybe walks aren't safe after all. But if we just take a deep breath, keep our emotions under control, calmly check in with our dogs and keep moving forward like whew, that was something, but we're okay, we're good, then our dog will learn that it wasn't such a big deal after all. You could even throw in a couple of good boys and maybe a few treats, if you have them. Associating food with a scenario usually helps your dog remember it fondly, and that would be such a gift for your dog's confidence, for his eagerness to go for walks in the future. So the next time you get rushed by an off leash dog and your dog walks away in one piece, don't skip those next couple of minutes. They might be quiet, but they're powerful. Let your dog sniff. Let your dog shake it off, let him reset, keep walking. Talk to him calmly, help him understand that, hey, it wasn't that big of a deal, and that interaction right there will help your dog more than you'll ever know.